Container



Dec. 22,' 1942.

M. G. BIBERTHALER CONTAINER Filed Jan. 31, 1939 8,, /7Ax 6. BABE)?TH/YLER.

(Ittomeg Patented Dec. 22, 1942 comma Max G. Biberthaler, Meriden,Conn., assignor of one-half to Wesley R. Becher, Wethersfleld,

Conn.

Application January 31, 1939, Serial No. 253,758

4 Claims.

My invention relates to containers of the knock-down type andparticularly to such containers or cartons as are made from corrugatedvboard which commonly consists of a corrugated sheet of paper materialbetween two fiat sheets of a similar material.

Heretofore, cartons of this type have been produced which required theuse of a strip of adhesive tape to keep them closed. In other types ofsuch cartons, means have been provided for locking the flaps thereof inclosed position. No provision, however, has heretofore been made wherebythe flaps of the carton may be locked in closed position, without theuse of additional sealing means, and so that they could be unlockedwithout damaging any part of the carton, or the sealing means, to permitre-use of the carton after it has been opened.

An object of my invention, therefore, is to provide self-locking means,for the end flaps of such cartons, whereby the said flaps may be lockedin position without requiring the use of additional sealing means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a carton having improvedlocking means and which is formed from a blank that is 50 constructedthat the same may be produced in a most economical manner through theelimination of waste in the cutting of said blank from a sheet ofmaterial.

My invention further provides other novel features and advantages whichare obtained by details of construction having considerable utility andwhich appear more fully in the following description and from theaccompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a carton blank embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating acarton formed from such blank.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, in central vertical section and on afurther enlarged scale, through a portion of my improved carton showingthe flaps thereof closed and in locked position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view, in elevation, and on a stillfurther enlarged scale, illustrating a portion of the end flap of .thecarton comprising my improved locking means.

Figure 5 is a front view, in elevation, of the said locking means.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a modifiedform of a carton blankcomprising my invention.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing such a blank-in a further modifiedform.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a blank for the end flaps used in connectionwith the blank shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a carton, formed from the blankillustrated in Figure 7, with one of the end flaps shown detachedtherefrom.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, my invention provides for acarton blank which consists of side wall portions 5, 6 and l; The

said portions 5 and 6 being provided with extensions forming flaps 8 and9, which areadapted to be folded on the dotted lines Ill, and theportion 1 being provided with extensions forming the flaps II which areadapted to be folded on the dotted lines I2.

In order to produce the said blank in a most economical manner byreducing to a minimum the amount of waste resulting from the cutting ofsaid blank, I provide a separate piece comprising a wall portion l3having extensions forming the end flaps I4 which are foldable on thedotted lines I 5. The said separate piece may be joined to the remainderof the blank by means of the flaps l6 and, I1 which extend from the sidewall portions 5 and 6 thereof and are secured to the said separatepiece, as indicated at It, by suitable fasteners. The said flaps I 6 andII and side portions 5, 6 and 1, being foldable on dotted lines I 9, 20,2| and 22.

Previous to folding the said blank into a carton, the same is foldedover and the flap I6 is secured to the portion l3, at 23, in the samemanner as the flap I! is secured by means of the fastener indicated atE8.

It will be noted that the end flaps l4 extend for the full distanceacross the end of the carton and that they may be provided in a blankformed from a single piece of material as illustrated in Figure 6 of thedrawing. However, cutting such a blank will cause considerable waste ofmaterial for the reason that the said end flaps I 4 extend beyond theother portions of the blank and, therefore, necessitate the use of alarger sheet of material than is required to produce the blankillustrated in Figure 1 wherein a. separate piece is used to provide theend flaps H.

In addition to providing maximum economy in the production of a blankfor a carton, I, by

my invention, provide means whereby the said end flaps may be locked, inposition to keep the carton closed, by a simple operation and withoutrequiring the use of additional sealing means. Furthermore, my inventionprovides for to remove said goods from the cartons, for inspection orfor the purpose of displaying them,

. permitting a carton to be opened without destroying the locking meansso that the said cardifferent position from that of the end fiaps in theblank illustrated in Figure 1. My improved locking means, however, arefully eifectlve on a,

blank of this form although the blank itself is more costlyto produce,on account of the extra waste of material, than whenthe said blank. is

. made from two pieces as the one illustrated in and then return thegoods to the same carton.

My improved sealing means comprises opposed extensions 24, on the endflaps I4, having outwardly diverging opposed edges 25 terminating innotches 28 against the edge 21 of the end flaps to provide hooks 2-8 ineach of said extensions. The flaps l I, which extend from the wallportion 1,

that is opposite the wall portion l3, are provided with notches or slits29, adjacent the foldin lines l2, to receive the extension 24 therein aswill now be described.

In forming the carton, as illustrated in Figure 2, the blank illustratedin Figure 1 is first folded on 5 the lines It, 20, 2| and 22 and theflap I6 is Joined,

by the fastening means It, to th side, indicated at 23, of the wallportion i3. Then the flaps H 'are first folded inwardly on the lines l2in the thereby causing said extensions 24 to enter the carbon throughthe slots 29 and the hooks 28" to lock under the flaps II, as clearlyillustrated in Figure 3 of the drawin thus locking the said end flapsover the flaps 8, 9 and II and securely retaining the said flaps inlocked p sition to prevent accidental opening of the carton.

As clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, it will be 'noted that thehooks 28 extend in a cross-wise direction to the corrugations of thecorrugated sheet 3| in the material from which the blank is cut. Thisrenders the hook portions flexible in that direction and providesadvantages of con: siderable utility since it permits the said hooks tocompress, 'by contact with the ends 32 of the notches 29, as theextensions 24 are being forced into said notches, and then spring backtowards their original shape and cause the hooks to lock under the saidends and flaps ll. Furthermore, the ends 32 of the notches are disposedparallel to the corrugations 3| to permit the blank material, at thosepoints, to also compress, by contact with the diverging edges of thehooks 28, and then return to its normal condition and into said hooks tobe retained therein.

By reason of the flexibility thus rendered to my several times withoutseriously efiecting the lock- In the modification illustrated in Figure'1, I 3 provide a blank which is also very economical to Produce for thereason-that the end flaps for said blank are formed as separate pieces"-15 having the extensions 24b which are foldable on thedotted lines20-12 and are provided with hooks 2t-b. On this form of a blank, both ofthe wall portions l--b and "-4) are provided with flaps "-1: which arenotched, as at 2L4), to receive the extensions 24-h.

1 In forming a carton from the said blank, the same is folded on.thedotted lines ll-b, 2l-b and 2I-b'and the edges of the blank are ioinedby a strip of adhesive, indicated at 33. The flaps I l-b are then foldedinwardly and the fiaps H and 9-1: are folded over them; thus closing theend of the carton, as clearly'illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawing.The end member "-1) is then folded, with the extensions projectinglaterally' therefrom, and the said extensions are inserted through thenotches "-11. The hooks 28-1) 30 will then engage under the fiaps "-1)thus locking the said end member in position, over the *other flaps, andretaining the said flaps and carton in locked P sition.

From the foregoing specification, .it will be clearly understood that Ihave provided a'blank improved locking means, the same maybe used ingaction of the hooks with relation to the edges of the notches 29. Thiswill permit the locking means to remain effective for securely holdingthe end fiaps l4 in locked position so that the carton may be re-usedwith all the advantages provided by said locking means.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 6, it will for a carton whichcan be produced with a minimum of waste and which includes-economicaland efllcient locking means wherebythe said carton tions thereof whichwill permit re-use of the carton for the purposes above set out.

I claim: V l. A carton comprising side walls each having a flapextending inwardly on said carton with the edge thereof substantially inabutment with the edge of anopposite fiap, two of said fiaps overlyingthe other flaps to form at least a double layer of flaps closing an endof said carton, the underlying flaps having notches extending inwardlyfrom the edges thereof adjacent the side walls of said carton, aseparate cover having extensions at the sides thereof in alignment with,opposite edges of said end, and hook portions on said extension adaptedto engage the said lower fiaps adjacent the notches therein and ,to locksaid cover over the overlying flaps and thereby retain said fiaps inclosing position and provide at least three layers of the material ofsaid carton extending entirely over the'area of the ends thereof.

2. A carton comprising side walls each having a fiap extending therefromand bent inwardly over the end of said carton, two of said flaps closingthe end of said carton with their edges substantially in abutment, theother flaps also closing the end of said carton and overlying the firsttwo fiaps with'the edges thereof substantially in abutment,

be noted that the end flaps l4 are disposed in a the lower fiaps havingnotches extending inwardlyfrom the side edges thereof, a separate coverhaving extensions at the comers thereof in alignment with opposite edgesof said end and insertible in said notches, and hook portions on saidextensions for engaging the said lower fiap portions adjacent the endsof said notches to retain said cover in locked position over saidoverlying flaps with the corners of said cover securely retained againstthe end of said carton.

3. A carton comprising side and end walls each having a flap extendinginwardly on said carton, two of said flaps overlying the other flapsover an end of said carton, the underlying flaps having notchesextending inwardly from the edges thereof adjacent the walls of saidcarton, a cover having extensions on the edges thereof and registeringwith said notches, and opposed hook portions in said extensions forengaging the surface of said underlying flaps adjacent the ends of thenotches therein and thereby locking said flaps in relative position andclosing said carton.

4. A carton of the character described comprising side walls each havinga flap extending inwardly on said carton, two of said flaps overlyingthe other flaps at an end of said carton, a separate cover overlying allof said flaps, extensions on theedges of said cover adjacent cornersthereof, at least one of the underlying flaps having notches extendinginwardly from the edges thereof and disposed to receive said extensions,and hook portions on said extensions adapted to project beyond the endsof said notches and engage the underlying flap for retaining the upperflaps in position relative to the lower flap and closing said carton.

MAX G. BIBERTHALER.

